Pocket atomizer



April 8, 1952 v B. NACHBAR 2,591,962 POCKET ATOMIZER Filed Nov. 25, 1949- 34 I I E a lNVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 8, 1952 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE POCKET ATOMIZER Benjamin Nachbar, Hewlett, N. Y.

Application November 25, 1949, Serial No. 129,234 1 Claim. (Cl. 299-88) This invention concerns an atomizer for liquids such as perfumes, liquid deodorants, medicaments, and the like. It covers particularly one of very simple construction, made from a minimum of parts and at least usually about as small as a lipstick holder to be carried about just as is such a holder. 1

Earlier atomizers that have been carried in a pocket or a lady's handbag or purse are complicated in structure. They involve difilculties and high cost in the manufacture of the many necessary parts and their assembly into the finished atomizer, in addition to certain disadvantages in use.

My atomizer overcomes-these various difficulties and disadvantages by being composed of a minimum'number of parts of simple construction permitting unusual facility in assembling them into the completed product and greatease in operation and maintenance of it. This results from its many features including, among others that follow directly, a reservoir for the liquid to be atomized and sprayed, a reciprocating piston type air compressor spaced away from and in substantially axial alignment with said reservoir, a piston rod extending between the reservoir and compressor, a reciprocable piston in the latter and supported in it on the piston rod. the compressor cylinder being reciprocatory along the piston rod with respect to the reservoir as well as rotatable relative to it about the piston rod at substantially any position along its stroke. Thus, in the preferred arrangement the reservoir chamber, piston rod and compressor cylinder are in coaxial alignment.

The reservoir chamber is openable and fillable advantageously only at one end, effectively its outer end, preferably by a screwable cap with the threaded closurev made liquid tight as by the use of a gasket. From the inner and desirably closed end of the reservoir chamber extends a column preferably integrally joined to it and effectively serving as the piston rod which through the intervention of the piston and other parts acts as support for the air compressor cylinder. This extension column or piston rod is hollow throughout substantially its entire length and open at its upper end, i. e. remote from the reservoir, to communicate with the air compressor chamber and serve as an air conduit to convey the air supplied under pressure from the air compressor to an air jet duct referred to hereinafter as functioning to aspirate liquid from the reservoir.

'Liquid is filled into the latter after unscrewing its closure caper plug from its threaded outer piston sleeve.

2 end which for convenience is called the bottom of the reservoir as well as of the atomizeritself.

Liquid is removed by aspiration from the reservoir through a small bore liquid aspiration suction conduit extending to near the bottom of the reservoir and securely fitted, for example and preferably by forced fit, into its closed top. There it communicates with the outside through a fine, liquid aspiration passage, drilled through the reservoir top, advantageously adjacent the junction with the hollow extension or air conduit or piston rod.

Liquid is aspirated from the reservoir and atomized by compressed air coming from the compressor through the hollow extension column to a fine bore air jet duct running from the bottom of that column through the area of its junction with the reservoir to the outside and endingat a point about immediately above and in back of the outer end of the liquid aspiration passage.

The compressor cylinder is supported over the hollow extension column at least for a very large extent by a coaxial, compressible spring. the lower end of which is carried on a gasket lying over the piston. The latter constitutes the collar of an intermediately collared sleeve, preferably hollow, immovably fitted, as by a forced fit, into the top of the hollow column; The compressor chamber advantageously is restrained against being forced off of the piston of an annulus stop, serving as the rear head of the cylinder, reciprocable along the piston rod and respectively under the piston and immovably fitted into the bottom end of air cylinder.

Building up of vacuum in the liquid reservoir as liquid is aspirated from it is avoided by a vacuum prevention vent in the form of a very fine bore duct running from the reservoir preferably from above the liquid level in it and through its junction with the hollow column to the outside. This vent is spaced away from, and preferably diametrically opposite, the air jet duct.

A compressible gasket under the annulus stop 7 prevents leakage. when the atomizer is out of use, by serving as a liquid tight (or anti-leakage) gasket over the outer ends of the liquid aspiration conduit and the vacuum prevention vent when the compressor chamber is depressed to its lower limit. The atomizer is locked in such closed posi- -tion by effective means. advantageously by rotating the compressor chamber only sufiiciently to engage threads on the outside of a boss depending from the top of the compressor with threads on the inside ofthe top portion of the The invention is more specifically understood from a detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of it shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the atomizing side of the unlocked atomizer ready for compression, at about full size of a handy model; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same side as in Fig. 1 enlarged to about double its scale, showing the compressor fully depressed andwith its sides;vthe pi'ston and anti-leakage gasket in' section; Fig; 3 is a longitudinal, transverse section on about double the scale of Fig. 2 along the line, and in the direction of the arrow, III-HI of Fig. 2, with the atomizer fully extended; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal, transverse section along the line, and in the direction of the arrow, IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the cylindrical reservoir I has its openable, threaded, bottom end closed by the threaded plug N that can be withdrawn; for example, by unscrewing with the edge of a coin inserted in the diametrical slot |2 in its outer surface. The chamber of the reservoir is kept liquid tight by compression of the rubber gasket l3, preferably held in the peripheral recess I4, between-the outwardly extending flange l5 ofplug H and the bottom edges of the walls of the reservoir chamber. The reservoir ridges I5 in addition to. their attractiveness permit strength with lightness of weight.

Extending upwardly from the top of the reser voir and co-axially, and preferably integral with it is. the hollow column or piston rod serving through certain parts, to be described later, to join the reservoir and the air compressor cylinder l8 into a mutually operating. whole. The piston rod I! is open at its top end where it communicates with the interior of the cylinder l8 and closed at its bottom end by the roof IQ of the reservoir.

The plate or piston 2| is the outwardly extending flange positioned intermediate the ends of the unitary, flanged sleeve 22 having its lower or piston rod end 23 frictionally tightly fitted spring clamp or pressure equalizer distributor. 21

having gaps 28, and (c) the lower end of spring 29. The outer portion of the washer 25- bears against the wall of cylinder l8 and spring clamp 21 maintains the pressure constant.

The top or outer end of cylinder I8 is closed air tight by the plug or cylinder head 3| held immovably fixed in place as by aforced friction fit of its depending skirt 32 against the inside wall of the cylinder to a depth limited by the contact of the cylinder head flange 33 with the upper edge of the cylinder walls. To ease insertion of the plug 3| into the cylinder, the outer edge 34 of the lower end of skirt 32. is bevelled.

The boss 35 depending centrally.- from the upper.

part of plug 34 provides the annular groove 36 that serves to center, and as an upper base for, spring 29. The lower partof boss 35' carries: on its outside threads 31 to intermesh with corresponding threads 38 on the inside of the upper section 24 of the collared sleeve 22.

The top of reservoir I0 is thick enough toprovide an integral junction section. 4| where the reservoir and the bottom of the hollow piston rod are integrally joined. The topportion ofv this Junction section 4| is recessed to provide a peripheral shoulder enclosed by the lower end of cylinder l8.

Air jet duct 43 runs from the lower part of the interior of the hollow piston rod I! through the junction section to a suction and liquid and air mixing zone 44 at the shoulder 42.

Liquid, such as perfume or a medicament solution, and the like, is aspirated from the reservoir l0 through a small bore, liquid aspiration suction conduit 4s extendingitonear the bottom of the-'reservoir'andby a forced frictional'flt tightly fixed into bore 46 in the reservoir top or junction section where it communicates with the suction and liquid and air-mixing zone 44 through a fine, liquid aspiration passage 41 drilled through the reservoir top and junction section. Zone 44 gives an added advantage although adequate operation occurs without it.

Vacuum prevention vent 48 of a very fine bore connects the top of the chamber of reservoir It) with. the. outside air.

Indication spot. 49- locatedon the same element of the cylinder with the aspirator and atomizing outlet 44, shows the-side of the atomizer where the outlet: is located;

The air compressor cylinder or chamber I8 is completed by a rear head or cylinder bottom 5| that is held immovably fixed as by a forced frictionfit in-thelower part of cylinder |8 just enough above. itsv end to leave depending a very shortlength of the cylinder wallto enclose the compressible, rubber washer 5|l.- Boththe cylinder bottom 5| and washer 50 are separately centrally bored so that they can readily be reciprocated: over the hollow pistonrod I! with sufficient play between the bore of each of them and the outerwall of the rod I! to allow air to flow between it and them into the cylinder on its suction. stroke.

Washer 50 is invertedly cupped so that its inner, outwardly and-downwardly sloping walls can embrace the shoulder 42 and close over the outer ends of boththe liquid aspiration passage 41 and the vacuumprevention vent 43 'when the atomizer is locked: closed. as explained below.

Aconvenient: plan for assembling the atomizer isto-assemblegasket 50- and cylinder bottom 5| with the tube l3. After thishas been done the cylinder i8 is slid over shaft |l. Then sleeve 22 is pressed-into rod I1 and washer 25 is slipped into place over 22- and then the equalizer distributor 21 isput-in place and, after spring 29 is positioned,rthe cap 3| is pressed in to the upper end-of cylinder l8.

Gasket |3 having been placed in therecess for it in plug H and. perfume outlet tube 45 having been frictionally force fitted into the bore 4e for it, the reservoir can then be capped by turning. the threads. on plug II in the threads of the lower end of. the reservoir. My atomizer is then ready for useas follows:

Cylinder I8 is depressed as far as it can be by the contact of thethreads-31 on the upper end 24 of sleeve 22. When the parts are in this position, there is considerable clearance between gasket 50 and. shoulder 42. When cylinder I8 is turnedengaging threads 31 and 38-, the surface of gasket 50 and thesurface 42- are brought together.. Continued turning. pulls. cylinder |B further down and closes gasket 52 tightly over the orifices of. theatomizing, zone 44 and the .vacuum prevention: vent 48 making. them liquid tight.

Reservoir. I0 is then opened by insertinga coin inslot. I2. of cap- LL and turning. in a direction to unscrew the cap. A supply of the desired perfume, medicament solution, or other liquid to be dispensed by the atomizer is then poured into the reservoir. The latter is then closed by replacing the cap on the opening and screwing the cap in until it is fast and has compressed gasket l3 so that the closing is liquid tight.

The atomizer is then opened into operating position by turning cylinder [8 relative to reservoir H1 in the reverse direction from that which looked it, thereby unlocking threads 35 from threads 38. Spring 29, having been compressed when the atomizer was closed, upon now being released expands and pushes cylinder [8 outwardly over piston rod [1 away from shoulder 42, uncovering the orifices of zone 44 and vent 48. At the same time, the vacuum produced by the expansion of the interior space in cylinder l8 by the retraction of piston 2| and its washer 2526 draws outside air into the cylinder, through orifices id and 43.

The atomizer, then held vertically with its cylinder above the reservoir and its ends between the thumb and one of the fingers and indication spot 49 directed toward the place on which it is desired that the stream impinge, is alternately compressed and released. The compression increases the air pressure in the cylinder and the pressure of spring [1 on spring clamp 27 whereby pressing washer 25 tightly against piston 2 i and its junction with upper section 24 of sleeve 22 and also against the inner wall of cylinder l8. Thus air from the cylinder, prevented from escape along the air jet duct 43. There, the pressure of the air compels it to fiow through duct 43 at high velocity across the top of aspiration passage 47 producing a vacuum that draws liquid from reservoir [0 through tube 45 and passage 41 to atomizing zone 44. There the velocity of air leaving the latter atomizes the liquid and blows it against the selected site for its impingement.

The foregoing description of my atomizer shows it to have a minimum of parts, no valves to go out of order, simplicity of arrangement and assembly of its parts, and neat and attractive appearance. There is little opportunity for any parts to clog. If any clogging should ever occur in the air jet duct, vacuum prevention vent, or liquid aspiration suction conduit, any one of them can readily be cleared by slipping the thin end of a pin through it and blowing if necessary. Each of them is easily accessible.

While my atomizer has been illustrated by describing a specific embodiment of it, it is understood that suitable modifications, variations, or substitutions, for example, intermeshing threads for any of the force fits, to obtain equivalent structures, all as embraced within the scope of the appending claim.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

6 An atomizer comprising a reservoir chamber for the liquid to be atomized and sprayed, a reciprocating piston type air compressor axially spaced away from and in substantially axial alignment with said chamber, and integral with said chamber and as a substantially axial extension of its inner end, a hollow piston rod supporting the piston in said compressor and having its hollow interior communicating with the interior of the air compression cylinder of the compressor and out of communication with the interior of the reservoir chamber, an open-ended, air jet duct bored through the area about the junction of the reservoir chamber and the piston rod communicating from the hollow interior or the latter to a point on the outside of the atomizer, and an open-ended, liquid aspiration suction conduit communicating from a point below the liquid level of the reservoir to a liquid discharge orifice on the outside of the atomizer and positioned relative to the outlet of the air jet duct so that the air stream ejected from the latter can blow across the liquid discharge orifice in a direction and at a velocity adequate to aspirate liquid from the reservoir, a vacuum prevention vent bored into the liquid reservoir chamher and communicating from its interior to a point on the outside of the atomizer away from the liquid discharge orifice, the compressor cylinder and reservoir being rotatable relative to one another about a common axis and there being internal threads within the hollow upper end of the piston rod and an exteriorly threaded boss extending from the cylinder head toward the piston and of such diameter that its threads can intermesh with said internal threads when the compressor and reservoir are in closed position,- whereby the latter two can be rotated relative to one another to have the two sets of threads engage and then to screw them together sufficiently for the sealing gasket to close securely tightly over the discharge orifice and the exterior end of the vacuum prevention vent.

BENJAMIN NACHBAR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS France Mar. 21. 1927 

